Crabs in Baltimore

When I was there in May, I had them at Bertha's in Fells Point and really enjoyed them. Faidleys at LExington Market was also recommended but we didn't get there.

You may want to consider Bo Brooks in the Canton area - along the waterfront.

Good luck!

Lexington Market's worth the trip, and Faidley's the place for seafood there.

Hi Pam09, I live in Annapolis and often go to Baltimore. Are you from the area?

If they plan to see the Inner Harbor area, they can get crabs there. Phillips is expensive but well-known (frowned upon by my native Baltimorean friends!) restaurant and there are certainly others.

They can take the water taxi from Inner Harbor to Fell's Point for Bertha's and a walk around that interesting area.

Another well-known place is Obryckis-I haven't been there so can't give advice. but site is http://www.obryckis.com

Not about crabs but, DH and I had a very fun day riding the Baltimore Duck. It is a land-sea vehicle (from WWII) that does a land tour and then just drives into the harbor! It was a real hoot.

The crab season is over Nov. 1 so any crabs eaten after then (and maybe before since they are scarce) may be from the Gulf of Mexico. Sorry. Just pretend they are Bay crabs who went South for the winter!
Enjoy a wonderful place!

We ate them everywhere, and they were good every place we had them. We went to Bertha's and also the market where we ate them right off the slab concrete- prepared the best I ever had for those kind of crab.

It was at the other market- Mike's?

Anyway- if you don't get them in season, Baltimore is still fun.

Hi Pam:

I've never heard of people eating steamed crabs at Bertha's - crab cakes, maybe - so I'd check in advance if you want actual crabs. Their mussels are fabulous, though. Also, Lexington Market is not a great place to get crabs - the crab cakes at Faidley's in LM are ok, but there is no seating.

Obrycki's and Bo Brooks are both good (for steamed crabs), but keep in mind Obrycki's closes after Nov. 8 for the season. The only problem with Obrycki's is that they use a black pepper seasoning, and if you are traveling to Baltimore special to eat crabs, you will probably want an Old Bay spice. Bo Brooks is right on the Harbor, so the water view is nice. I've also heard that LP Steamers in south Baltimore on Fort Street is very good, though I have never been there.

Right now, the place that seems to have the best rep for steamed crabs in Baltimore is Mr. Bill's Terrace in Essex, which is just outside of Baltimore to the northeast, on Eastern Boulevard. No reservations, you just go and wait for the table and hope you're still sober when they call you.

Another really great place is Jimmy's Famous Seafood on Holabird Avenue in Dundalk, right around the City's eastern border. Both Mr. Bill's and Jimmy's are old time Baltimore (good!) so don't expect anything fancy.

I hope you have a great time, and enjoy those crabs! And if it's crab cakes you are after, not steamed crabs, mention that in a post, because there are other better places to go for crab cakes.

Boy Smetz your choices have my mouth watering!!!

Bo Brooks has always been one of my favorites for Old Bay seasoning but I absolutely love the black pepper seasoning at O'Bryckie's. Years back we'd skip eating all day and go up and eat crabs, corn on the cob, pickles, and finish off with chocolate sundaes (all at O'Bryckie's). Then we'd be sick that night!!

I've not heard of LP Steamers though - have to go check that out.

LN - Sounds like you and I have similar tastes! Speaking of corn on the cob, there is a crab place on Southwestern Boulevard in Catonsville, right where it splits with Wilkens Avenue. I can't remember the name, but I can get it for you if you like. The crabs are great (carry out only), but they also steam corn in with the crabs, old bay seasoning and all. It's really good.

I am jealous about the blue crabs, as long their steamed you can't go wrong, however, I had so-so crab-balls at Crabby Dicks in Fells Point, fun place, bad food.

We loved Bertha's for mussels and crab cakes. We also liked the Wharf Rat- we expected really good beer and passable food, but the beer was mostly ok with great food.

We were ok with Bo Brooks- the two soups mixed were really great, but I don't remember what else we had.

Please let us know where they went and how it went!

Smetz

I do believe I'll be taking a little visit up to Catonsville and Wilkins Ave to get some crabs. They'll probably still be warm by the time I get back home.

You've really got me thinking about blue crabs!!

Hey Pam09, Where ever they go, them em to bring money-just passed a sign for "Large Male Crabs $100 a Bushel".

As always - Fodorites are the best! I'll let you know where they ate their "blue crab!" AND how they were!!

Last time we were at LP Steamers and Bo Brooks we got some bad crabs (they smelled like ammonia and were not eatable) - I would not recommend these two restaurants. I agree with Obryckis and also recommend the Canton Dockside - we had great crabs and other good food at both places. Enjoy!

Oh, I keep forgetting about Canton Dockside - quilter, is there much of a water view there?

Sorry to butt in Smetz but I think most of the dockside in Canton is private for condos and marinas. I've been wrong a time or 400 though.

No problem, TDudette - there is actually a restaurant called "Canton Dockside". It's in the newish Canton Crossing development on the south side of Boston Street, really out on the eastern edge of Canton, past all of the condo developments. Like most of the other developments, it used to be waterfront industrial. I think the only building completed there is a high rise office (it's where First Mariner Bank has their HQ), and I'm pretty sure the Canton Dockside restaurant is in the first floor of that building.

Good to know, smetz! Pam09, when does your family arrive?

Looking for an update about crabs. Headed to Baltimore this week-end to visit DS. More interested in crabcakes than whole crabs.

Hi SuzieTrue - there are many places to get good crabcakes, in fact it's hard to get a bad crabcake in Baltimore (it's easy anywhere else) but the best crabcakes in Baltimore are at G&M Restaurant:

http://www.gandmcrabcakes.com/index.php It's nothing fancy, but the crabcakes are excellent!

Other good places include:

http://timbukturestaurant.com/

http://www.gunningsonline.com/maryland_seafood_crabs/baltimores_best_crab_houses_steamed_crabs.php

http://www.leelynns.com/

http://www.bobrooks.com/

I have also heard that the crabcakes are good at Bertha's on Broadway in Fells Point, though I've never had them myself. It's hard to go wrong with their mussels though!

Also, if you are staying downtown, a good stop for lunch is Faidley's seafood in Lexington Market, which is on Paca Street at Lexington Street, sort of along the northwestern edge of the downtown area. Their lump crabcakes are very good, as are their fried oysters. In fact, anywhere you go for crabcakes, it's hard to go wrong with fried oysters as well!

Agreed with the Bertha's recommendation for Crabs and mussels. Can't believe its been almost a year since I was there.

With crab cakes, look for those made from "lump" or "jumbo lump" crab meat... hunks of snow-white meat, rather than flakes and/or claw meat. At some places, such as Faidley's in Lexington Market, there might be a choice between lump and standard (not sure of the terminology). Lump is considerably more expensive, but worth it!

Thanks everyone. DS has already discovered G&M. I would like to get to Lexington Market so will try Faidley's.

I'm loving seeing all the recommendations for Bertha's in Fell's Point. I used to live a few doors from them years ago and Tony and Laura (the owners) were friends. I used to go in there for the mussels a couple of times a week, so they've been doing great mussels for ages. It's fantastic to see they're still so popular! A group of art students lived in FP before it was well-known and we used to buy crabs before dawn at a fish market near the Harbor (it wasn't built up yet) and steam them with Old Bay in a Barrel with corn cobs and polish them off in the yard behind our building.

Lexington market has changed alot since the olden days, to be sure.

>>A group of art students lived in FP before it was well-known and we used to buy crabs before dawn at a fish market near the Harbor (it wasn't built up yet)>>

bellastarr - boy that was a long time ago! When my wife and I were first married, we loved getting up when it was still dark on a Saturday, and going down there to buy fish & crabs. We were so disappointed when they moved the fish market out to the suburbs - individuals can't go there to shop anymore.

Thanks for bringing up a great memory..

Eating crabs is BAD for our Chesapeake Bay!

tachiebluebird - could you be more specific?

Over-fishing/crabbing/oystering are the baddies! If we could only cut back. Our crabber friend said that the moratorium on rockfish hurt the crab population as much as over fishing had. True? Don't know but it really is time to go back to local farming/fishing when poss.

Don't the crabs in that area all come from Lousiana??

TDudette I think you are right, overfishing is a problem with the crabs, but it does not specifically affect the health of the bay. Now for oysters, the lack of the bivalves filtering the water does have an impact, but the problem with the oysters I think is not overfishing, but disease.

I've heard the same thing that you mentioned about the comeback in the rockfish population being a big culprit in the crab decline, since they evidently eat crab. But I think that's conjecture, and not a known fact.

It seems to me, though, that since the moratorium on rockfishing was so successful, we should have a similar moratorium on crabbing to bring that population back, too. Problem, is, the watermen are dead set against it since their livelihoods are already on the wane. But hey, why can't we use some bailout money to support the watermen for the next five years during a moratorium?

Rich - much of the crabs do come from Louisiana - and Texas, too. But this is mostly to augment the supply from the bay.

DH and I are currently comparing crabcakes in the Baltimore area. Last night had the crab cake platter at G&M. Today it was a crab cake at Faidley's in Lexington Market. Both were good, but we decided the Faidley's cake was moister. Continuing the research for two more days.

ST

Oh, that sounds great Suzie. Where else do you plan to go? And are you going to try steamed crabs?

Not sure what other places to try. Tomorrow we will be at the aquarium and inner harbor. How hard do you have to work to get the meat out of a steamed crab?

Well, you have to work pretty hard, and it's a mess. But the beer and social atmosphere make it all worthwhile. The other drawback is the cost - I haven't had any yet this year, but it's not unusual for large crabs to cost $75 to $100 per dozen. But if you want to give it a shot, tomorrow is supposed to be very nice, and Bo Brooks, on Boston Street in the Canton area of east Baltimore, is right on the harbor, and has outdoor seating too. Maybe go there and get a half dozen and try them out! I think they'd be glad to show you how to pick them. The bigger ones are easier to pick.

I should add, though, for truth in advertising, that it seems to be more difficult to enjoy picking crabs if you've never done it before. Most people around here have done it all their lives, and were taught by countless crotchety old family members.

We decided to go to Phillips on the Inner Harbor for lunch today. Had the Chesapeake Bay crab cake platter. The cakes were a little smaller than the other two places but very moist. DH had the King crab cakes which were very different. Now for Monday and Tuesday!

"DH had the King crab cakes which were very different."

Phillips makes crab cakes out of KING CRAB? Heresy!

BTW; you can make your own crab cakes at home, and they're surprisingly good. If you have access to fresh lump crab meat (costs about $30/pound last time I checked) and a packet of Old Bay crab cake mix, you can make 4 crab cakes that are as big and delicious as you're likely to find almost anywhere.
http://www.marylanddelivered.com/images/oldbaycrabcake.jpg

Suzie, here is a list of top ten crab cakes in Baltimore, according to Elizabeth Large, the Baltimore Sun food critic.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2007/10/top_ten_best_crab_cakes.html

I guess they are all traditional crab cakes, because in that same section of the paper's web site, they also have the top ten crab cakes "with a twist"

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2008/10/post_109.html

I heard Pisces closed, but I'm not sure if that's true.

Went to visit nephew who lives on Kent Island off of Annapolis today. Had the crab cake at The Narrows. I'm beginning to think there is no bad lump crab cake.